This invention relates to the field of chairs, and more particularly, to an outdoor chair which is foldable between an open, used position and a collapsed, stored position.
In order to store or transport furniture to be used outdoors, it is desirable that such furniture be foldable between an open, usable position and a collapsed, stored position. In the prior art, various structures have been developed so that a chair is capable of being foldable from a position of use to a collapsed position. Representative of such a foldable chair is the chair described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,635,998 issued Jan. 13, 1987 to Hickey. In the Hickey chair, a hinge is pivoted at one end to a side rail and at its opposite end to a cross-piece located at the bottom of the chair back. When in the open, or locked, position, the cross-piece rests on the side rails. However, any forward movement of the Hickey chair back, as when one rises from the chair or pushes it from behind, will cause the chair back to move forward and collapse the chair. To prevent this, pins are inserted through holes in the front legs to mate with matching holes provided in the front of the side rails.
In Hickey, if these locking pins are not in place, the chair will collapse when an individual slides forward to get out of the chair, places his hands in the natural position on the armrests to rise from the chair, and thus puts pressure on the armrests forward of the points at which the armrests are connected to the front legs. Without the locking pins in place, the Hickey chair will also collapse if an individual pushes or pulls the top of the seat back forward. In these instances, the Hickey chair back has a tendency to rise upwardly and the pivot pin thus moves upwardly and rearwardly such that the Hickey chair folds into its collapsed condition. Collapse of the Hickey chair is attributed primarily to the face that the forward pivot point of the lever assembly is aligned with or above the last slat on the seat bottom. The locking pins thus are necessary to lock and retain the Hickey chair in its open position of use. These pins, however, are easily lost and, moreover, result in a very unsteady chair which wobbles even when in the open, locked position.